"Hurry up and announce it! I really want to see what kind of despairing face Asia will make once she finds out this was all part of my plan."
Asia silently stared at the image projected from the magic mirror.
Her normally fair, delicate face had turned pale like she was gravely ill. Her soft little fists were clenched so tightly that her neatly trimmed nails dug into her palms.
"Now do you understand, Asia? You were cast out of the Church because of that devil's selfish desires. He used your naturally kind heart to frame you."
Gently stroking Asia's silky blond hair, Vitan softly comforted the trembling girl beside him.
The scene on the magic mirror ended there.
Asia closed her eyes and murmured,
"Mr. Vitan... has that devil already been...?"
Asia was indeed a kind girl—but that didn't mean she was an idiot.
Just thinking a bit was enough for her to imagine what had happened to the devil she had treated.
"Are you worried about his life? Even though he's the one who caused all this?"
This time, even Vitan couldn't help but feel a bit exasperated.
He confirmed again in his heart—this girl was the real deal.
A genuine saint.
The kind who would pursue goodness, sacrifice herself for others, and expect nothing in return.
That's what made her willing to save even a devil—someone labeled the enemy of her faith—without hesitation.
There was a big difference between a true saint and a fake one.
Spending time with someone like her was genuinely heartwarming.
Asia didn't speak. She simply bit her lip lightly and nodded.
"Just as you guessed—Diodora has already been executed by me."
The moment Vitan said that, Asia's shoulders trembled.
It wasn't that she was overwhelmed with grief—but the fact that the life she had just saved was now gone left her feeling uncomfortable.
"Now, let me explain why I recorded everything about Diodora and why I need to apologize to you."
Things were finally moving toward the heart of the matter. Asia set aside her brief sadness and fixed her gaze on Vitan.
"First, I need to confess something to you, Asia: I'm also a devil."
Vitan spoke clearly, watching her emerald green eyes for any reaction.
A deep silence fell between them.
The only sounds were Asia's even breaths, the insects chirping their symphony in the grass, and the rustling of leaves stirred by the breeze.
But no words passed between the two.
After a long, long time…
"I knew it. Mr. Vitan never really felt like one of the angels to me."
Finally, a smile bloomed once more on Asia's youthful face.
That gentle smile wasn't forced—it sprang genuinely from her heart.
"I knew it. Asia is so much prettier when she smiles."
The sudden compliment made Asia instinctively shrink back, her cheeks turning adorably pink.
"Mr. Vitan—!"
She covered her face with both hands, calling out in shy protest.
"Alright, alright! I'll stop teasing you."
Vitan waved his hand and then spoke with a sigh.
"But you really are too trusting, Asia. You were just tricked by one devil, yet you're already putting your trust in another so easily."
"Because I believe you wouldn't lie to me, Mr. Vitan. You must be a good devil!"
Asia beamed sweetly, and even Vitan felt a flicker of guilt—
As if!
He had lived as a devil for so long, yet perhaps he hadn't picked up many of the devils' bad habits.
But there were two things he had definitely embraced: living as he pleased and always getting what he wanted. These two traits were deeply rooted in his personality.
"Just as you thought, Asia. Asia, you should be aware of the many mysterious disappearances of church saints, right?"
The atmosphere between the two of them returned to that lighthearted tone from before, and Asia instinctively nodded at Vitan's words.
But the very next second, she realized what Vitan was implying by mentioning that matter.
"Could it be that all those saint sisters were targeted by Mr. Devil…"
It wasn't a hard conclusion to reach, and Asia was no exception.
"That's right. According to my investigation, for years, Diodora has been luring saints of the church. Once they were excommunicated, he would appear and take in those despondent women as his servants. As the head of the Asmodeus family, one of the 72 pillars of pure-blood devils, I came here to deal with that bastard."
Vitan shrugged, his voice deep and serious.
"Eh? But there's something I don't quite understand…"
Before Vitan even finished his sentence, Asia, like a curious kitten, immediately asked her question.
"What is it? You can ask me anything, Asia."
Patting her small head gently, Vitan treated her like a fragile and adorable little animal.
"Vitan-san, you're a devil, right? So why are you helping the saints?"
This had been the question weighing on her heart all this time.
She truly believed that Vitan was a good devil. Otherwise, he wouldn't treat someone like her—someone from the enemy church—with such kindness and warmth.
But still, wasn't this unnecessary?
Punishing his own kin for the sake of mere saints didn't fit the image of devils the church had painted for her.
"Why, for the sake of peace between the Underworld and Heaven, of course!"
Vitan's voice deepened further, his tone filled with a sorrowful compassion that seemed to influence those around him.
"In the great war of the past, for reasons that were utterly meaningless, both devils and angels lost many of their own. More than half of the 72 pure-blood devil houses were wiped out."
"The devil race's numbers were reduced by over a third."
"If another war like that breaks out, pure-blood devils and angels might be completely wiped out from the battlefield."
"That's a scenario I must prevent at all costs."
"As the head of the Asmodeus family, it's a responsibility I must bear. Even if many devils don't understand me, I will carry this out."
"This is a shared belief between me and the current Four Great Satans."